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Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami
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Kafka On The Shore (original 2002; edition 2005)

by Haruki Murakami

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
17,962465275 (4.05)1 / 1047
Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. HTML:NATIONAL BESTSELLER â?ą From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and one of the worldâ??s greatest storytellers comes "an insistently metaphysical mind-benderâ? (The New Yorker) about a teenager on the run and an aging simpleton.
Here we meet 15-year-old runaway Kafka Tamura and the elderly Nakata, who is drawn to Kafka for reasons that he cannot fathom. As their paths converge, acclaimed author Haruki Murakami enfolds readers in a world where cats talk, fish fall from the sky, and spirits slip out of their bodies to make love or commit murder, in what is a truly remarkable journey.
â??As powerful as The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.... Reading Murakami ... is a striking experience in consciousness expansion.â? â??The Chicag
… (more)
Member:amyisard
Title:Kafka On The Shore
Authors:Haruki Murakami
Info:Vintage (2005), Edition: New Ed, Paperback, 512 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:None

Work Information

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (2002)

  1. 131
    The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (LottaBerling)
  2. 50
    Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (GaryN1981)
    GaryN1981: Rushdie is one of the masters of magic realism and anyone who appreciates the way Murakami weaves almost impenetrable surrealism into Kafka... will love Midnights Children
  3. 51
    1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (PaulBerauer)
  4. 20
    A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami (koenvanq)
  5. 00
    Anathema Rhodes: Dreams by Iimani David (Mary_Z)
    Mary_Z: I enjoyed both these books for their mysticism and freshness. "Anathema Rhodes" has more challenges and is clearly more socially and politically conscious, but the feel and flow of the story reminds me of Murakami's "Kafka...". I sincerely recommend both!
  6. 00
    The Infinities by John Banville (librorumamans)
    librorumamans: Like Kafka on the Shore, Infinities plays with multiple points of view, alternate realities, and riffs on other works (in this case Kleist's Amphitryon). Both Murakami and Banville tackle big ideas directly and indirectly through the structures of their books. Banville, in my opinion, pulls this off more coherently.… (more)
  7. 00
    Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr by John Crowley (somethingauthentic)
  8. 02
    Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo (LottaBerling)
  9. 38
    Life of Pi by Yann Martel (tandah)
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» See also 1047 mentions

English (398)  French (15)  Dutch (12)  Spanish (11)  Catalan (5)  Danish (5)  Italian (4)  Finnish (3)  Norwegian (2)  German (2)  Swedish (2)  Estonian (1)  Hebrew (1)  Polish (1)  Hungarian (1)  All languages (463)
Showing 1-5 of 398 (next | show all)
"Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami is a puzzling and captivating novel that enlaces multiple narratives, blurring the lines between reality and dreams, and exploring themes of identity, loneliness, and the search for meaning. The premise is brilliant: Kafka Tamura, a teenage boy who runs away from home to escape his father's curse, and Nakata, an elderly man who lost his memory in a childhood accident and possesses the ability to communicate with cats. Filled with mysterious occurrences, symbolic imagery, and philosophical musings, Murakami's prose is richly atmospheric, drawing readers into a surreal world where magical realism and mundane reality coexist seamlessly while inviting the reader to ponder the nature of existence and the interconnectedness of all things. It’s strength is that it does not provide easy answers or neatly tie up its narrative threads. Murakami revels in ambiguity, leaving many questions unanswered and encouraging interpretation of the story's events in a unique and immersive way. ( )
  Andrew.Lafleche | Mar 9, 2024 |
I enjoyed this story, but there was too much gratuitous sex for my taste. ( )
  joyjannotti | Jan 22, 2024 |
I’m having a difficult time trying to explain the 3 stars. Lots of people love this book. It just wasn’t for me. Before Kafka on the Shore, I only knew Murakami through his short stories...stories I loved! So I’m not sure what happened with this book...it was mostly a page turner, but I grew bored toward the end. ( )
  ellink | Jan 22, 2024 |
What a wonderful, surreal, weird book. I loved every minute of it, but I couldn't begin to tell you what it's about. ( )
  jbaty | Dec 29, 2023 |
This is very enjoyable, but slightly frustrating, Murakami. So much stuff just doesn't quite come together enough. I've read a bit around the book afterwards, which suggests that maybe there is some underlying meaning; but I also haven't found that structure, so I suspect maybe there really isn't. Still very enjoyable, though not great as an entry-level book. More in the vein of Hard-Boiled Wonderland than Wind-Up Bird or Norwegian Wood. ( )
  thisisstephenbetts | Nov 25, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 398 (next | show all)
The weird, stately urgency of Murakami's novels comes from their preoccupation with . . . internal problems; you can imagine each as a drama acted out within a single psyche. In each, a self lies in pieces and must be put back together; a life that is stalled must be kick-started and relaunched into the bruising but necessary process of change. Reconciling us to that necessity is something stories have done for humanity since time immemorial. Dreams do it, too. But while anyone can tell a story that resembles a dream, it's the rare artist, like this one, who can make us feel that we are dreaming it ourselves.
 
Maar net zoals in de rest van Murakami’s omvangrijke oeuvre blijft het niet bij het wegloop-realisme van de hoofdpersoon. Onverklaarbare wendingen, bovennatuurlijke verschijnselen, irreĂ«le toevalligheden en onwaarschijnlijke personages roepen bij de nuchtere lezer al snel de vraag op waarom hij in godsnaam maar blijft dóórlezen.
 
Kafka Tamura se va de casa el dĂ­a en que cumple quince años. La razĂłn, si es que la hay, son las malas relaciones con su padre, un escultor famoso convencido de que su hijo habrĂĄ de repetir el aciago sino del Edipo de la tragedia clĂĄsica, y la sensaciĂłn de vacĂ­o producida por la ausencia de su madre y su hermana, a quienes apenas recuerda porque tambiĂ©n se marcharon de casa cuando era muy pequeño. El azar, o el destino, le llevarĂĄn al sur del paĂ­s, a Takamatsu, donde encontrarĂĄ refugio en una peculiar biblioteca y conocerĂĄ a una misteriosa mujer mayor, tan mayor que podrĂ­a ser su madre, llamada Saeki. Si sobre la vida de Kafka se cierne la tragedia –en el sentido clĂĄsico–, sobre la de Satoru Nakata ya se ha abatido –en el sentido real–: de niño, durante la segunda guerra mundial, sufriĂł un extraño accidente que lo marcarĂ­a de por vida. En una excursiĂłn escolar por el bosque, Ă©l y sus compañeros cayeron en coma; pero sĂłlo Nakata saliĂł con secuelas, sumido en una especie de olvido de sĂ­, con dificultades para expresarse y comunicarse... salvo con los gatos. A los sesenta años, pobre y solitario, abandona Tokio tras un oscuro incidente y emprende un viaje que le llevarĂĄ a la biblioteca de Takamatsu. Vidas y destinos se van entretejiendo en un curso inexorable que no atiende a razones ni voluntades. Pero a veces hasta los orĂĄculos se equivocan.
 
”Et stort verk, men likevel lekende lett lesning.”
 

» Add other authors (34 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Haruki Murakamiprimary authorall editionscalculated
Gabriel, PhilipTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
GrÀfe, UrsulaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Porta, LourdesTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Westerhoven, JacquesTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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"So you're all set for money, then?" the boy named Crow asks in his characteristic sluggish voice.
Quotations
"... in everybody's life there's a point of no return. And in a very few cases, a point where you can't go forward anymore. And when we reach that point, all we can do is quietly accept the fact. That's how we survive."
"Listening to Fournier's flowing, dignified cello, Honshino was drawn back to his childhood. He used to go to the river everyday to catch fish. Nothing to worry about back then. he reminisced. Just live each day as it came. As long as I was alive, I was something. That was just how it was. But somewhere along the line it all changed. Living turned me into nothing. Weird...People are born in order to live, right? But the longer I've lived, the more I've lost what's inside me–and ended up empty. And I bet the longer I live, the emptier, the more worthless, I'll become. Something's wrong with this picture. Life isn't supposed to turn out like this! Isn't it possible to shift direction, to change where I'm headed?"
The air was damp and stagnant, with a hint of something suspicious, as if countless ears were floating in the air, waiting to pick up a trace of some conspiracy.
I'd never imagined that trees could be so weird and unearthly. I mean, the only plants I've ever really seen or touched till now are the city kind--neatly trimmed and cared-for bushes and trees. But the ones here--the ones living here--are totally different. They have a physical power, their breath grazing any humans who might chance by, their gaze zeroing in on the intruder like they've spotted their prey. Like they have some dark, prehistroric, magical powers. Like deep-sea creatures rule the ocean depths, in the forest trees reign supreme. If it wanted to, the forest could reject me--or swallow me up whole. A healthy amount of fear and respect might be a good idea.
There's only one kind of happiness, but misfortune comes in all shapes and sizes.
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Wikipedia in English (3)

Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. HTML:NATIONAL BESTSELLER â?ą From the New York Times bestselling author of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and one of the worldâ??s greatest storytellers comes "an insistently metaphysical mind-benderâ? (The New Yorker) about a teenager on the run and an aging simpleton.
Here we meet 15-year-old runaway Kafka Tamura and the elderly Nakata, who is drawn to Kafka for reasons that he cannot fathom. As their paths converge, acclaimed author Haruki Murakami enfolds readers in a world where cats talk, fish fall from the sky, and spirits slip out of their bodies to make love or commit murder, in what is a truly remarkable journey.
â??As powerful as The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.... Reading Murakami ... is a striking experience in consciousness expansion.â? â??The Chicag

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